No carbs. Just carbs. High protein. Nonfat. Low fat. No sugar. Acai berries. Half an hour of exercise each day. An hour of exercise 3 times a week. Each week, it seems as though there is new information about what we need to do or eat or drink in order to lose weight fast. It's no secret that America is overweight, but as a nation, we are becoming lazy when it comes to weight loss. Every time I read about these fad diets, and fad advice, I just shake my head. There is no secret to losing weight. There is no secret pill, no magic berry that will make fat melt off your body. While the overall mantra is the same (calories in, calories out; if you burn more than you eat, you lose weight), getting there is much simpler, really.

First off, it's not a good idea to cut out any one thing from your diet. And while it's a good idea, you don't have to stop going out to eat or frequenting your favorite fast food place. It's all about portion control. Cut back on how much. Don't go for the super-size, extra-large meals when you eat out. Opt for regular or even small size meals. Here's another trick: use smaller plates. It seems odd, but if you use a smaller plate, especially if you go to a buffet, your mind can actually be tricked into thinking that you're eating less. A cup of food on a salad plate looks much more filling than that same cup of food on a huge dinner plate. Also (this is just my own theory), if you use smaller plates, you work your serving off when you have to get up and go for seconds!This next one is hard to do, especially if you just love food like I do: eat slowly. It takes some time before your stomach will tell your brain that it's full. That's why you don't really feel stuffed after Thanksgiving dinner until about a half hour later. If you eat quickly until you're full, you will consume additional calories. Instead, eat until you feel just satisfied. You will feel totally satisfied in a few minutes.

I thought this tip was just plain counter-intuitive, but it makes sense: eat more often. No, skipping meals does not help you lose weight. In fact, it makes you gain weight. Hear me out...fat is your body's energy reserves. When you don't eat for a while, it's true that your body starts to burn off that fat so it can keep going. But if you get in the habit of skipping meals, your body goes into survival mode. It doesn't know when it'll be getting more food and energy, so when you do eat, it stores that food as fat, rather than burning it off. This is why it's best to eat 5-6 times per day. Not regular meals, mind you. But you want to keep putting food into your body so that it knows to burn off what you eat in preparation for your next meal. For example, try eating a muffin and a banana for breakfast. A granola bar as a morning snack. A sandwich for lunch. Carrot and celery sticks (wth dip, if you like) in the afternoon, meat and veggies for dinner, and a small cup of ice cream for dessert. Again, portioning is KEY.

As far as exercise goes, the more, the better. But a total of a half hour every day, or an hour every other day, seems to be quite effective. Any type of movement is fine: treadmill, jogging, dancing, tennis, football, etc. Just get active! The last tip is time. We are a "now" nation. We want things as fast as possible, and we're always looking for time-savers. But unfortunately, there is no quick fix for weight loss. Just be mindful of what you eat, how much you eat, and how active you are. It won't happen overnight, but if you're consistent, you'll shed pounds like there's no tomorrow!